New DHEC chief to be paid more than first expected. Board claims he’s worth it
The state health and environmental agency’s new director will be paid nearly $54,000 more than department officials said he would receive when he was recommended for the post in late December.
A legislative committee that reviews proposed salary increases signed off Wednesday on a request to pay Edward Simmer $249,000 as director of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
An agency spokeswoman said in December that Simmer would be paid $195,078, but after that, DHEC board chairman Mark Elam asked for more money.
In a Jan. 26 letter to the Agency Head Salary Commission, Elam requested $249,000 for Simmer because the retired Navy psychiatrist has more than 30 years of military and health care experience.
“He has demonstrated a proven track record of successful leadership in crisis situations, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks and the COVID 19 pandemic, ’’ Elam wrote. “It is our belief that Dr. Simmer is uniquely positioned to lead DHEC at this time.’’
The DHEC board picked Simmer Dec,. 22 from among more than 80 candidates. The state Senate confirmed the choice last week.
The $249,000 he will receive is higher than the salary of DHEC’s last director, Rick Toomey. Toomey was paid slightly more than $180,000. It’s also higher than the two directors before Toomey. Catherine Heigel was paid $195,560 and Catherine Templeton was paid $169,081, DHEC says.
Dozens of state officials make more than $249,000, most notably athletic coaches, professors and doctors.
But Simmer’s pay would put him among the highest paid department directors in South Carolina, comparable to director salaries at large agencies such as the Department of Transportation and the Department of Mental Health, records show.
DHEC is among the state’s largest agencies, with more than 3,000 full-time workers and 1,000 part-time and temporary workers. The department is one of the few agencies in the country that is responsible for both public health and environmental protection.
Two salary commission members, State Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, and John Scott, D-Richland, said Simmer is qualified and has the ability to run DHEC.
His experience is badly needed during the coronavirus crisis, they said. DHEC was run for eight months by an interim director during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, and has been criticized for not moving decisively enough at times.
“This is an individual who has a had a long, successful history in the medical field and in the military,’’ Smith said, noting that Simmer most recently was deputy director of TRICARE health, a type of military insurance program. “He’s got experience, and that’s what we need. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic.’’
Scott and Smith both said the salary was near the mid-point of the range for the DHEC director’s job. The highest a DHEC director could make is $302,440.
“He’s coming in at a very difficult time, and given the size of the agency,’’ the salary is justified, Scott said. “I knew we weren’t going to pay $300,000.’’
The salary commission’s action also would increase the pay for a search firm that helped with the director search. Find Great People was to be paid a 20 percent fee, based on the director’s first-year salary, DHEC has said. That works out to about $49,000.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 12:27 PM.
